Constipation and fecal impaction have long been well-known problems, particularly with respect to persons who are hospitalized, in care homes, bedridden, elderly or who have particular ailments.
Attending persons, including medical personnel, householders and others, are generally reluctant or unwilling to manually manipulate the abdomen of a person or patient in the effort to effect movement of waste through the colon. Physicians or other persons cannot at all readily detect colon impaction so as to enable treatment at particular locations.
Adequate means or equipment have not been provided to address the problem. Massage rollers have been provided for other purposes, such as the massage devices or rollers of U.S. Pat. No. 693,064 to Proven and Fischer, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,955 to Gueret, however such rollers have no means for guidance for accurate following of a colon configuration and depend upon user's idea of where pressure should be applied, and many persons are often unwilling to engage in efforts at colonic transit.
There has long existed a need for means to effect colonic transit by the progressive urging of material along the colon of a person to effect relief of constipation or fecal impaction.